This applications claims the priority of German Application No. 103 49 912.1-23 filed Oct. 25, 2003, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
This invention starts with a method and apparatus for controlling the movement of a side window of a side door of a motor vehicle. Preferred embodiments of the invention relate to methods and apparatus for controlling the movement of a movable side window in a side door of a motor vehicle, said side window being movable by means of a window lifter operated by outside force, in which method the side window is moved automatically by the window lifter into a predetermined intermediate position as a function of a movement of the side door, said intermediate position differing from a completely closed or completely lowered position of the side window.
Such a method for controlling the movement of a side window of a side door of a motor vehicle is known; in this method, said side window is movable by means of an outside force-operated window lifter. In this method, the side window is automatically moved by the window lifter as a function of the movement of the side door from the closed position into the open position, such that the side window is moved into a predetermined intermediate position which deviates from a completely closed or lowered position of the side window. In the state of the art, this is described as a so-called short-stroke lowering. This starts from the completely closed position in which the window is completely raised, then the side window is lowered a few millimeters into the intermediate position when the side door is opened, so that the upper edge of the window is out of engagement with a gasket assigned to this edge of the window, so that opening of the door is facilitated and moreover less stress is put on the gasket. When the side door is again moved out of the open position into the closed position, the short-stroke lowering is canceled and the side window is again raised into the gasket so that the side window resumes the completely raised and closed position. This short-stroke lowering is known from European Patent Document EP 09 17 674 B1 (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,508), German DE 41 07 271 A1, and German DE 195 47 582 C2 (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,423), for example.
Another method for controlling the movement of a side window is known from German Patent DE 42 03 512 C1, wherein the side window is completely lowered when the side door is opened, so that entering the vehicle is facilitated in particular under tight parking conditions.
An object of certain preferred embodiments of this invention is to provide a method of the type referred to above for controlling the movement of a side window so as to optimize the quality impression given by the vehicle.
This object is achieved with a method for controlling the movement of a movable side window in a side door of a motor vehicle, said side window being movable by means of a window lifter operated by outside force, in which method the side window is moved automatically by the window lifter into a predetermined intermediate position as a function of a movement of the side door, said intermediate position differing from a completely closed or completely lowered position of the wide window, wherein, starting from a completely lowered position of the side window, the side window is raised into the intermediate position at least when the side door is closed, in which intermediate position the side window with its upper window edge is moved in at least some sections into a sealing gap situated on a railing of the side door.
Important advantages achieved with this invention can be regarded as the fact that the side window is supported laterally by the gasket with its upper window edge within the sealing gap in the movement of the side door from the open position to the closed position, so that rattling noises when closing the door are at least reduced. This method is used mainly with frameless side doors and in particular with convertibles which can be parked with the roof down. The side window is often left in its completely lowered position when the occupants leave the vehicle. The inventive method yields a high quality appearance when the side door is closed with the side window lowered because the side window does not cause any rattling noises.
According to an advantageous refinement of certain preferred embodiments of the invention wherein the side window is automatically moved back into the completely lowered position when the side door has again reached its closed position starting from its open position, when the closing of the side door is concluded, i.e., when the lock on the side door has been locked, the side window is completely lowered again into the intermediate position. This locking of the side door lock may be used as a parameter for controlling the window lifter, for example, so that on recognition that the lock is locked, the side window is automatically moved into the completely lowered position, in which it is completely lowered out of the sealing gap and thus is no longer visible.
In a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, wherein starting from the completely lowered position of the side window, the side window is automatically raised into the intermediate position when opening the side door, the side window is raised into the intermediate position when the side door is opened, i.e., when the lock is unlocked. Then the unlocking of the lock may be used as a parameter for controlling the window lifter. As an alternative exemplary embodiment, wherein manual operation of a door opening handle of the side door is determined and the side window is then automatically raised into the intermediate position, it is also conceivable for manual operation of the door opening handle by the vehicle user to be determined, whereupon the side window is automatically raised into the intermediate position. Then the operation of the internal door opening handle as well as the exterior door opening handle may be used for this.
According to certain preferred embodiments of this invention, the completely lowered position of the side window is determined. To do so, for example, a limit switch may be provided in the path of the side window. It would also be conceivable for the position of the window lifter which is operated by an outside force to be determined by means of its control device. Such methods of determining the current position of the side window or another movable car body part are known so they need not be described in detail here.
The invention also contemplates apparatus for carrying out the above described methods.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.